Local animal activists: More can be done

Conditions at local puppy farms and pet shops here may not be as bad as those overseas, but local animal activists say that more can be done.

The article in the October issue of Australia Cleo had dredged up the issue of puppy mills again.

It was based on the finding of an Australian organisation whose members visited the farms along Pasir Ris Farmway 2 last month.

The group, Oscar's Law, fights for the end of puppy mills.

The report brought up the issue of puppy milling, something that local groups had waged war against in 2009. They accused such places of working in secrecy and treating animals as puppy-producing factories.

This was after they rescued 75 dogs living in squalor at a Pasir Ris farm. The breeder, Benny Neo, spent 10 weeks in jail for his negligence.

Some had even posed as buyers during undercover visits to expose what they deemed as "disturbing cases of cruelty over the years by rogue operators". They then took these horror stories to the authorities and demanded improvements.